I recently had a c-section (about 2 weeks ago on 8/1/07) -- the anesthesiologist gave me the numbing needle for the spinal (im positive it was a spinal) and then, when he put the spinal needle in, he made 3 attempts before he got it into the place he wanted it. I got the sensation of being karate chopped in the back when he got the place he wanted. I laid down on the table and my feet started to go numb.. as did the rest of me up to my chest. 

After the c-section I felt fine, aside from the usual pain of my incision. Just before I went home, 4 days later, I started to get this numbness and tingling in my right hand. It feels like pins and needles. I asked my OB about it just before leaving the hospital, and he told me that he thought it was excess water in my hands, and that it should go away within two weeks. Well it still hasnt gone away, as a matter of fact, it seems to have moved up my arm to my elbow. I do get feeling on occasions, but id say 80% of the time its pins and needles or its numb. is this because maybe he (the anesthesiologist) hit some nerve during one of those times he tried to re-insert the needle?? And if so how long is this feeling going to last? I hope its not going to keep moving up my arm! Should i go see a specialist?? 

ﾠIt's unlikely that your spinal anesthesia has anything to do with the symptoms you are experiencing in your arm and hand. The needle would have been inserted in your lower back, far from any nerves that supply your upper extremity. Your symptoms are more likely due to a nerve problem in your neck, elbow or wrist, unrelated to the anesthesia. I suggest you seek help from your family physician or a neurologist. 

I have had a previous c-section with a spinal anaesthesia, of which I had a reaction causing nerve loss in my lower back region. The Neurologist advised me not to have another spinal. If I have another c-section under general anaesthesia what risks might I face? Thank you. 

In most circumstances general anesthesia poses higher risk to mother and baby than spinal or epidural anesthesia. This is why spinal and epidural anesthesia have replaced general anesthesia as the technique of choice for cesarean section for most patients. In view of your previous complications from a spinal anesthetic however, general anesthesia could be the best choice for YOU. 

The determination of whether a spinal anesthetic has caused a neurologic complication is not always straightforward because childbirth and labor can themselves cause neurologic problems, and because neurologic problems unrelated to the anesthetic can coexist. 

The decision about which technique is best should be made by you and your anesthesiologist in consultation with your neurologist and obstetrician. In competent hands, a general anesthetic for elective cesarean section in a health patient should be safe. There are minor side effects such as sore throat, possible dental injury, and postoperative nausea, as well as rare severe problems that cover a wide range, including aspiration of stomach contents. The most feared complication relates to difficulty with intubation, as pregnant patients are several times more likely to be difficult to intubate (breathing tube insertion) than other patients. One of the most important issues therefore is whether your airway appears normal or "difficult". Please contact your anesthesiologist to learn more about the risks, benefits and alternatives of each anesthetic technique and to make the best plan for your anesthetic care. 

I had a Spinal 7 weeks ago for a scheduled c-section (this was my second cesearean). I am still experiencing numbness and tingling sensations around my tailbone area, especially when i am sitting down. Is this normal? and what should I do about this? 

Assuming that you had no such numbness before or during your pregnancy, I would say this is not at all normal. What you should do, definitely, is check in with your OB-GYN and/or with the anesthesiologist who took care of you, for further evaluation. 

Neurologic symptoms, (that is numbness, tingling, loss of sensation, pain, or weakness) that occur after natural childbirth can be related to epidural or spinal anesthesia. However these symptoms are more likely to be due to the compressive effects of the baby's passage down the birth canal. In your case, with an elective cesarean section, there was presumably no labor so this is probably not the explanation! 

It is possible that a sacral spinal nerve root, which supplies the tailbone area, was injured during the spinal anesthetic. Was there a sharp sensation in the tailbone area during the insertion of the needle? Was there a sudden, tingly, or "funny-bone" feeling? Such injuries (a neuropraxia) normally recover without special treatment over a few months. If a spinal catheter was inserted and used to maintain the anesthetic it is possible that this would have traumatized the nerve roots. However spinal catheters are rarely used today in the United States. 

Another possibility is that the spinal anesthetic medication could have irritated the nerves. One of the most commonly used anesthetics, lidocaine, has fairly recently been recognized to sometimes cause irritation (labeled Transient Neurologic Syndrome); this is experienced as a painful sensation in the buttocks and thighs after the anesthetic which invariably gets better within a few days. 

A final possibility is that a little bit of bleeding was caused by the insertion of the needle, and the blood has irritated the nerve roots. This would be expected to improve over a few days also. 

Are you certain that a spinal anesthetic, and not an epidural, is what you received? An epidural anesthetic has many of the same potential complications. The presence of the epidural catheter may be associated with a slightly higher rate of minor nerve injury than a spinal anesthetic. 

Although I am trying to cover the range of potential anesthetic complications that might be causing your symptoms, please keep in mind that all of these are rare. It would be very important to look for other causes which have nothing at all to do with your recent anesthetic. The anesthetic might just be coincidental. Do you have any pre-existing back complaints? Slipped discs can occur at any time. The softening of ligaments that occurs during pregnancy might predispose to such problems. Do you have any numbness or tingling elsewhere? Any recent trauma? Any problems with bladder or bowel incontinence? Without wishing to be alarmist, it is possible for very very rare disorders such as spinal tumors to present with such symptoms, the so-called cauda equina syndrome. In short, most neurologic injuries related to spinal or epidural anesthesia are mild and resolve on their own within weeks to months. But without a full evaluation one cannot say what is causing your symptoms. The correct course of action is to consult your doctors, who can take a careful medical history, and do a thorough neurologic examination to try to arrive at a likely diagnosis. 

Eighteen months ago, I had an epidural. During the procedure, I experienced electrifying pain down my right leg numerous times. At one point, my pelvic floor felt like I was sitting on flames. Since this procedure, I have had paresthesias down my right leg and oddly in my rectum (sphincter muscle). Several months ago, I was given antidepressants to calm those nerves, but I have experienced unwanted side effects. I no longer want to take antidepressants for this problem and recently stopped them all together. The drugs helped to the point I didn`t have the sensations much at all, but now that I have stopped the meds, the nerve sensations are back with much frequency. The hospital where this happened is telling me that they have never had a case like this before and really have never heard of such symptoms, especially lasting 18 months. I really need some information on this issue. I would like to know what nerve may have been damaged, how long to expect healing (if at all) and other options for treatment. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. 

Thanks for your question. This must be a very difficult problem for you to deal with. 

I am not an expert on nerve injuries but I understand that most nerve injuries from direct needle trauma such as you have described are expected to heal in less than eighteen months. Beyond generalities, it is very difficult to provide useful advice in a case such as yours without the results of a comprehensive physical examination and appropriate laboratory tests. 

Although your history suggests that it was the epidural that injured certain nerves, or nerve roots, there may be other factors involved. These can include systemic conditions such as diabetes or nutritional problems, or local conditions in the spinal canal. Some, perhaps the majority, of nerve injuries after childbirth are due to "brith trauma" with the baby's head pressing on nerve structures in the pelvis. 

You should really seek expert help from a neurologist, and preferably from someone who has had experience diagnosing and treating nerve injuries. 

During the delivery of my son I had a spinal for a unplanned C-section, when the spinal was done a nerve was hit and it was like an electric shock went through my leg to my foot and back up my leg. This was extremely painful. As time went by the tingling sensation subsided a bit to where I was not constantly aware of it. My doctors told me it would take about 6 months to heal. I am now pregnant with my second child, they will be 12 months apart and my leg is giving me problems, I have a constant tingling sensationan and if its touched or rubbed it feel like pins and needles. It also has been swelling up, no other part of my body swelling but this ankle and foot. Is this something to be concerned about, will it heal on its own? 

ﾠNerve injury is a possible explanation for your initial symptoms. This could have resulted from direct contact between a nerve root and the spinal needle. But bear in mind that nerve injury can also occur from pressure of the baby`s head on other nerve structures during labor. 

The swelling and the tingling sensation that occurs when you rub the leg suggest the diagnosis of complex regional pain syndrome, also known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy. This is a chronic pain disorder associated with nerve injury as well as other kinds of trauma. The symptoms can be long-lasting, and require specialized treatment. 

I advise you to see a pain specialist to confirm the diagnosis and advise on treatment. This type of nerve injury occurs very infrequently with spinal anesthesia. For your forthcoming delivery you should discuss the options with your anesthesiologist. Even with your history an epidural or spinal could still be a reasonable option, as regional anesthesia is usually considered to be a better overall for mother and baby. 

I had shoulder surgery two weeks ago. To control the pain, they gave me two shots in my thigh at 4 hour intervals. The shots were a combination of Demerol (75mg) and Vistaril (50mg). For the past two weeks, in the area where they gave me the shots I have had, "Sensory neuropathies commonly associated with parasthesias numbness, tingling, or hypersensitivity to touch". Is there anything that can be done about this? 

An intramuscular injection ("shots") can very rarely cause injury to an underlying nerve. A nerve that is injured by a needle can cause numbness, parasthesiae (tingling, "pins and needles" sensations) or pain. Another possibility is that you may have a problem completely unrelated to the injections, such as a herniated disc in the lumbar spine. I would advise you to contact your doctor so that your complaints can be fully evaluated.